Tarun Mansukhani doesn't want to be preachy

Tarun Mansukhani, the director of Dostana, isn't overtly bothered about the reactions his film may generate, especially due to it's theme centred on two men pretending as a gay couple.

"That's because audience has opened up to all kind of ideas. It has matured and has the right understanding to choose between good and bad. You can't be conventional in any case all the time. You have to give something different. If film makers wouldn't have given this a thought would they have made brilliant films like Rock On or A Wednesday," questions Tarun who has assisted Karan Johar, master of escapist cinema since the Kuch Kuch Hota Hai days.

"Forget that the film wouldn't have worked 3 years or 1 year back. Heck, even till the day of release, no one believed Rock On had much of a chance. People thought - 'Who cares about a movie centred on a rock band. It seemed like a movie which would be restricted to South Bombay. However, it turned out to be so beautiful since it was more emotional that had nothing to do with Rock music."

Revealing that the success of the film taught him a lot, Tarun reasons, "One thing is clear – audience wants to be entertained. Whether you make them cry or laugh is secondary but what you should not ignore is the will power to experiment. Look at A Wednesday, it too has opened so many avenues. It has a great story and it succeeded because it wasn't preachy."

Getting into a philosophical mode, he concludes, "As a filmmaker you should be sure about something – 'Don't preach your audience. Don't tell them whether doing this or that could impact your life'. As long as you can steer clear of this and have your focus on entertainment, your job is done."